Getting Started with Mobile App Measurement and Attribution

GETTING STARTED WITH APP MARKETING
ATTRIBUTION AND MEASUREMENT
By Matt Orban
Technical Sales Engineer

INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................1
EVENT TYPES YOU NEED TO TRACK............................................................................2
AUTHENTICATION EVENTS...........................................................................................2
ENGAGEMENT EVENTS................................................................................................3
INTENT EVENTS..........................................................................................................5
PURCHASE EVENTS....................................................................................................5
CONCLUSIONS............................................................................................................6
ABOUT THE AUTHOR...................................................................................................6
ABOUT APSALAR.........................................................................................................7
VISIT US ONLINE FOR MORE GREAT CONTENT.................................................................. 7
CONTENTS
3
6
7
9
11
12
14
15
15
15

INTRODUCTION
Most of us understand that getting customer action
data from our apps is important and will help drive
improved marketing effectiveness. But what are you
actually going to measure? How do we turn the good
idea of measuring marketing activity into something
that is both clear, focused and actionable?
PEOPLE CONSIDERING APP ATTRIBUTION
PEOPLE READY TO SET UP THEIR PLATFORM
1
2
What I hope to do with this paper is explain the kinds of con-
sumer actions or events that brands in different categories
should track in order to get actionable data from their mobile
app attribution platforms. This is relevant information whether
you are about to pull the trigger on a platform, or have made
your choice and are now ready to implement.
AN EGUIDE WRITTEN FOR TWO AUDIENCES

As a leading player in the marketing attribution
arena, Apsalar has worked with hundreds of
companies to set up their marketing attribution
instances. Our very low account churn rate
attests to our success at helping clients create
measurement plans that meet real business
needs and drive significant improvement in ROI.
If you’re still deciding on which platform to use
for your apps, please get in touch with us. Our
team can help explain the right things to mea-
sure and how to make implementation easier. As
part of that process we can explain the mea-
surement options available to you as an Apsalar
client and how choosing another platform affects
your choices.
If you are already an Apsalar client, this docu-
ment is just one of the tools we have available to
get you started right. Your implementation team
and account manager can help you move from
the general recommendations you will find in this
document into conclusively defining the specific
set of data points that warrant tracking for your
unique app business.
Sitting down and defining what you will measure
can feel like the hardest part of using a tool like
Apsalar Attribution. But trust me, that “difficulty”
is more psychological than real. My goal with
this paper is to get rid of some of that discomfi-
ture, so you can get up and running much faster.
RECOMMENDATIONS
BASED UPON HUNDREDS
OF IMPLEMENTATIONS
4Copyright © 2015 All rights reserved worldwide. | www.apsalar.com

When you are just getting started with a measurement and attribution
platform like Apsalar Attribution, the most important things you need to
decide are which consumer actions you want to track. In this industry,
we call consumer actions events. By tracking events, we gather the
data necessary to understand the effectiveness of your marketing pro-
grams and gain a genuine view into what consumers are doing in your
apps. That’s mission-critical knowledge!
Different platforms allow their customers to track different numbers of
events. Some allow only a handful of trackable event types, while oth-
ers allow dozens – or more. Apsalar allows advertisers to track up to
400 unique events per app version – an extremely large number for
the category and one that makes us the choice of the most sophis-
ticated mcommerce companies globally. These are businesses that
understand the importance of complete and granular data.
Additionally, since Apsalar doesn’t charge for the number of events
tracked, an advertiser has an incredible amount of flexibility in deter-
mining both how many and what kind of events to track in their applica-
tion. Other vendors do charge for many kinds of events so you need to
balance those costs with the concomitant benefits of comprehensive
tracking – if you have chosen a platform other than Apsalar.
It’s actually quite simple to identify the kinds of events you need to
track. This paper is designed to provide some recommended event
types and accompanying attributes to track for a variety of different in-
dustries. By using the list provided for the category that is most similar
to your business, you can make quick and easy work of 90% - or more
– of the challenge here.
This paper advocates for tracking as many germane events as possi-
ble in order to facilitate richer understanding of your business and its
key drivers. We recognize that some people who download this paper
may have chosen a different mobile app attribution provider. Again, if
you are using a platform other than Apsalar, you will have to consider
the event limits in your platform and costs as you determine which
event types you should track.
ACTIONS AND EVENTS

The first step in choosing the events to
track is to identify the different types of
events that every marketer should be
tracking. Apsalar categorizes important
marketing events into four categories.
EVENT TYPES
YOU NEED TO TRACK
Events that help identify the user
(anonymously, of course)
Actions that a consumer takes that
indicate involvement in the app and
presage long-term usage.
Actions that indicate that the user
is considering and preparing for a
purchase.
Actions and information that are
communicated after a purchase
takes place. These include char-
acteristics of what was purchased
- specifics that help us get a richer
and more comprehensive under-
standing of each individual ano-
nymized customer.
Authentication
Events
Engagement
Events
Intent
Events
Purchase
Events
Let’s examine each of these in turn.

Authentication events allow the marketer to gather user-level information that can be used for
a variety of actions. Our primary goal with authentication events is to better understand the
characteristics of the person that is using that specific instance of an app. These data points
also help us – and other third party solutions providers – connect the actions that the customer
takes in an app with actions that they perform in other digital environments. These connec-
tions build a more complete view of the customer and enable us to understand the interplay
between different consumer touchpoints.
The following grid lists the type of authentication metrics than can be tracked and how they
help us better understand users and link in-app activity to other ways that the customer inter-
acts with the brand.
AUTHENTICATION
EVENTS

Email Address (Hashed) A hashed email can be used to link purchases and other customer actions in one environment to those that take place in other
environments. For example, a hashed email can be used to link in-app purchases to estore purchases and CRM activity, so that we
have a more holistic understanding of the customer
Device Advertising ID Many media and marketing partners will pass the Device Advertising ID (IDFA, Android Advertising ID) to advertisers. This helps us
identify the device on which an app is installed, which can be very useful when the time comes to retarget that individual to drive
additional marketing actions. Device Advertising IDs are also helpful in associating a customer’s activity across devices, because
Device IDs are far more persistent and mobile-friendly than other tracking tools like third-party cookies.
Social IDs Social IDs help to ensure that an app was installed by a real person, since the social networks have sophisticated algorithms to spot
fraudulent activity in their pages. In addition, social IDs can be the foundation for retargeting and other re-engagement efforts on
social networks, particularly those that do not pass a Device ID to an advertiser.
Custom Advertiser ID Some advertisers use their own IDs to identify users who log in, make purchases etc. A Custom ID is a great way to link behaviors
across devices and platforms.
Age and Gender These are useful, non-personally-identifiable attributes that help with basic segmentation.
Latitude and Longitude Most people expect location-based marketing to become extremely important in the future. For that reason we suggest that
advertisers consider recording longitude and latitude of the phone when users take important actions.
While your app may be well served by collecting more or fewer authentication events, this list should
provide a strong foundation on which you can build your authentication event tracking inventory.

Engagement events provide the marketer insight into the level
of engagement of a user in the application. These provide initial
signals that a person is using the app. These events are helpful
in identifying the quality users, both before and after a KPI takes
place.
In certain application verticals, a purchase might not happen for
six to eight weeks after an install. In this case, tracking a user’s
engagement lets the marketer accurately optimize a network’s
performance within days, instead of waiting weeks.
Engagement events vary by the category in which you compete.
Below you’ll find a simple chart that identifies key engagement
events to consider tracking, by mcommerce vertical:
ENGAGEMENT EVENTS
Gaming
Entertainment
Travel
Personal Finance
Retail
On-Demand Services

Gaming Entertainment Travel Personal Finance Retail On-Demand Services
Tutorial Viewed? Tutorial Viewed? Tutorial Viewed? Tutorial Viewed? Tutorial Viewed? Tutorial Viewed?
Load Load
Input of Travel Rewards
Numbers
Filling Out Financial Profile/
Planner
Filling Out Shopping Profile Filling Out Profile
Time Spent Time Spent
Input of Travel Preferences
(Airlines, Hotels, Car
Rentals, Time of Day, Class
of Service)
Input of Financial Preferences
(Risk Tolerance, Types of
Investments Preferred, etc.)
Input of Financial Preferences
(Risk Tolerance, Types of
Investments Preferred, etc.)
Product Searches
Levels Attained Content Searches Destination Searches Product Searches Product Searches
Rating Something in
the App
Points Attained Sections Viewed Wish Listing Consume Product Content Wish Listing
Reviewing Something in
the App
Goals Achieved Page Views Rating Something in the App Rating Something in the App Consume Product Content/Page Rating the App
Character Customiza-
tion
Save Content
Reviewing Something in the
App
Reviewing Something in the
App
Watch Video
Send Content to a
Friend/Recommend App
Character Development App Reviews Rating the App Rating the App Rating Something in the App App Update Installs
Review of Virtual Goods
for Purchase
Content Ratings/
Thumbs Up/Down
Send Content to a Friend/
Recommend App
Recommend App
Reviewing Something in the App
Game Update Installs
Videos/
Interactivities
Viewed
App Update Installs App Update Installs Rating the App
Experience
Customization
Contact Personal Shopper
Shopping Page/
Item Views
Recommend App
Shopping Searches App Update Installs
These lists are by no means the last word on these issues. Your app may have a different set of features
that would be relevant here.
The point is to think about these lists as a starting point upon which you can build a custom list of
engagement metrics to measure.

Intent events are useful in identifying users who
are planning on making purchases (or taking
other end actions) in the application. Like engage-
ment events, the intent events can be used to
identify quality users before a KPI occurs.
Perhaps more importantly, intent events can be
used to re-market to users who have performed
intent events but have yet to complete a purchase
event. Including these events in your measure-
ment plan will greatly increase the effectiveness
of using re-marketing ad network specialist
services. Apsalar’s ability to send data to both
re-marketing networks (via postbacks) and mar-
keting automation tools through our DataSync
offering gives the marketer complete discretion on
how to use the data for re-marketing.
Again, to simplify identifying the particular Intent
events that are relevant in your industry, we have
broken out “typical” or example events in each
of six categories: gaming, entertainment, travel,
personal finance, retail and on-demand services
INTENT EVENTS
Gaming Entertainment Travel
Personal
Finance
Retail
On-Demand
Services
Check
Availability
Check Size
or Color
Availability
Check
Availability
Add Virtual
Good to Cart
Add Virtual
or Real World
Items to Cart
Add ticket
to cart
Begin
Process of
Buying an
Asset
Add Virtual
or Real World
Items to Cart
Search for
Specific
Services
in Specific
Locations and
Times
Begin
Check Out
Begin
Check Out
Begin
Check Out
Begin
Check Out
Begin
Check Out
Begin
Check Out
Input CC Info Input CC Info
Input CC
Info
Input CC Info Input CC Info Input CC Info
Input
Shipping Info
Input
Shipping
Info
Input Shipping
Info
Again, this isn’t an all- inclusive list but should help you go a long way
toward recording most of the intent Information that is important to track.

Purchase or conversion events are obvious
events to track but capturing key attributes of the
purchase events can be a challenge. Tracking
revenue at a user level allows the marketer to
determine key metrics like Average Revenue Per
Paying User (ARPPU) or Return on Ad Spend
(ROAS) for a specific marketing campaign.
I’m going to make some slight changes to the
columns of the grid this time to reflect a better
breakdown of service types for purchase events.
PURCHASE EVENTS

Virtual Goods Real Goods Air/Car Travel Services Hotel Travel Services On-Demand Services
Total Revenue Total Revenue Total Revenue Total Revenue Total Revenue
Category(s) of Items Category(s) of Items Destination/Location Hotel Location Location for Service
Quantity of Items Quantity of Items Quantity of Items Quantity of Items
Name of Items Name of Items Departure/Pickup Date Check-in Date Date and Time
Quantity of Each Item Quantity of Each Item Return Date Check Out Date
SKU or Other Item Numbers SKU or Other Item Numbers Carrier/Company Hotel Brand
Price Paid per Item Price Paid per Item Revenue per Night
Taxes Levied Taxes Levied Taxes Levied Taxes Levied Taxes Levied
Color/size of Item Color/Size of Item Class of Service Class of Room Class of Service
Bought on Discount? Bought on Discount? Bought on Discount? Bought on Discount? Bought on Discount?
Size of Discount Size of Discount Size of Discount Size of Discount Size of Discount
Gift?
Longitude/Latitude Longitude/Latitude Longitude/Latitude Longitude/Latitude Longitude/Latitude

Authentication Engagement
As I mentioned at the outset of this document, the key here is
to take a methodical and strategic approach to identifying the
types of data that will help drive better decision-making. As you
can see, identifying events for tracking isn’t so difficult when you
begin with a construct like:
CONCLUSIONS
With that in place, identifying the right events for your mobile
instance attribution should be far easier.
That said, Apsalar clients can get additional assistance on
defining the right set of events to track from their implementa-
tion and account management teams. Our people are product
experts who can help speed the implementation process and
ensure that you gather the right data – right from the beginning.
Intent
Purchase or
Conversion

Matt Orban is Technical Sales Engineer for
Apsalar. Matt is an expert in mobile and mo-
bile apps, whose experience spans mobile
display advertising, mobile ad operations,
mobile app measurement, mobile app attribu-
tion, and mobile audience development. Pri-
or to Apsalar, Matt was Senior Ad Operations
Manager for Endorse, a mobile-only rewards
program that gave everyday shoppers cash
back for making CPG purchases. There Matt
helped define the company’s mobile market-
ing experiences in the CPG category. Matt
has a passion for helping clients establish
robust and comprehensive data collection
strategies. He holds a BS in Mechanical En-
gineering from Bucknell University.
Apsalar is a leader in mobile and omni-channel data man-
agement. The Apsalar Data Management Platform deliv-
ers a true understanding of what their customers do in
apps and across other marketing channels. Using the
Apsalar DMP, marketers can conduct attribution and mea-
surement of marketing effectiveness, manage profiles
and perform analytics and segmentation, and connect
and share their data and segments with other marketing
partners and platforms. San Francisco-based Apsalar is
privately held. For more Information, visit Apsalar.com.
VISIT US ONLINE
FOR MORE GREAT CONTENT
For more great content on mobile marketing and customer data, visit
https://apsalar.com/resources/
ABOUT APSALAR
Copyright 2015 Apsalar. Apsalar and Apsalar Attribution are
trademarks of Apsalar, Inc. All other brand names referenced
herein are registered trademarks of their respective companies.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR

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Getting Started with Mobile App Measurement and Attribution